The present invention relates to the field of baggage handling and security. More particularly, the present invention relates to a system and method for arranging baggage pick-up from a traveler-specified first location and delivery to a traveler-specified second location, and the tracking and screening of such bags for security purposes.
Transporting baggage to and from the home or office to the airport is frequently one of the most cumbersome aspects of airline travel for business and pleasure travelers alike. Moreover, airline passengers carrying more than one small piece of luggage to the airport are often forced to wait in long lines to manually check their luggage with airline personnel. Typically, at check-in, an airline employee inputs the passenger""s name or ticket number and the number of bags traveling with the passenger into a computer terminal. Tags are then generated and affixed to the baggage, which is then placed on a conveyor. Due to the time constraints associated with airline travel, this delay often forces passengers to hurry through the airport to board their flights on time, adding to an already stressful travel experience.
The inconvenience associated with checking baggage continues even after passengers disembark an aircraft in their destination city. Travelers must typically wait at baggage carousels for their baggage to appear, while the line outside of the airport for ground transportation steadily grows. Those unlucky passengers whose bags are unloaded last from the aircraft will unfortunately spend additional time waiting in line for ground transportation. In addition, airline delays and/or unavoidable scheduling may often force business travelers to carry their baggage directly from the airport to a business meeting because they do not have sufficient time to check in at their hotel.
The prior art includes baggage handling systems that are limited to intra-airport (or intra-terminal) baggage handling. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,793,639 to Yamazaki is directed to an intra-airport baggage receiving and handling method and system, with particular emphasis on the security aspects of baggage handling. Other prior art shipping services ship packages (e.g., a set of golf clubs) as freight separate from the passenger (i.e., the packages or baggage are not transported as checked baggage on a commercial airline flight with their passenger owner). Airlines will also typically deliver baggage to the home of a passenger when that baggage was temporarily lost or delayed during travel. None of these prior art systems, however, eliminates the need for travelers to carry their bags to the airport, wait in line to check their bags at the counter with airline personnel, with a skycap, or at an airport kiosk, retrieve their bags from an airport carousel, and carry their bags to a destination location.
While passenger convenience remains an important priority for air travel providers, the events of Sep. 11, 2001 have also raised public awareness of security issues surrounding air travel. Making our airways safe has become a priority of both the air travel industry and our federal government. One focus of this wide-ranging security effort has been on baggage screening and efforts to ensure that checked bags do not contain explosive devices. To this end, Congress has mandated that by Dec. 31, 2002, 100% of checked baggage at all United States airports must be electronically screened for explosives.
Critics of this mandate maintain that it will be impossible to achieve 100% baggage screening with currently-existing explosive detection system (EDS) facilities due to high false-positive screening rates and low throughput capability. They also suggest that the cost for installing a sufficient number of EDS machines to satisfy the mandate would exceed current budget estimates. They therefore recommend that Congress relax the mandate and push the deadline for 100% baggage screening to 2004. This would allow time to procure and install additional EDS machines and to realize improvements in EDS technology. Such a delay in implementing the mandate, however, will obviously adversely affect air travel security.
A system and method for arranging the transportation of baggage for airline passengers from an origin location (e.g., home, office, etc.) to a destination location (e.g., hotel, convention center) and to enable passengers to monitor and verify the status of their baggage transportation via a computer or handheld communications device (cell phone, PDA, etc.) is disclosed. The disclosed system and method significantly alleviate the inconvenience associated with airline travel while providing enhanced security.
In a preferred embodiment, flight information and baggage information from a user is received via a communications network such as the Internet. This may be accomplished by providing a link from an online travel provider Web site (e.g., an airline) to a baggage delivery Web site. In one preferred embodiment, information entered by a user during the purchase of an airline ticket is automatically captured by the baggage delivery Web site. Additional information relating to baggage delivery may be input directly by a user at the baggage delivery Web site.
The baggage to be transported is identified and transported from an origin airport to a destination airport. The baggage is delivered to the user specified destination location. The method may further comprise collecting the baggage from an origin location other than the origin airport. Information concerning the location of the baggage may be provided to a user via the communications network.
In a preferred embodiment, the present system and method also provide improved air-travel security in a number of ways. For example, the present system and method may significantly increase the number of checked bags screened for explosive devices without requiring an increase in the number of EDS machines or improvements in screening technology. In a preferred embodiment, this is accomplished by collecting bags in advance of flight time and screening them during off-peak periods at a secure location outside of an airport""s departure terminal. As noted, this significantly increases the number of bags that may be examined, and facilitates compliance with the Congressional mandate of 100% screening of checked bags.